Oregon's World-Class Elk Bugler Makes Call Of The Wild

LA GRANDE, Ore. - Marc Bales is a world-class elk bugler, one whose calls periodically echo well beyond the Eagle Caps.

Last winter, Bales won the first-ever Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation world elk-bugling championship. After his triumph, Bales was confronted with many media requests, some unconventional.

A Chicago radio station called his Joseph home at 4 a.m. one day, asking that he demonstrate his skill over the phone.

``It was crazy,'' Bales said. ``At 4:30 in the morning I was bugling in my bedroom. I don't know what my wife thought.''

Bales demonstrated his talents at a winter banquet for the La Grande chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He performed for an audience of about 300, which is less than the 1,000 spectators who attended last year's championships in Seattle.

``Many of the competitors were nervous since they'd never bugled in front of a crowd before,'' Bales said. ``I think most of us bugle better one-on-one with an elk.''

Bales was among those who had to overcome anxiety.

``My mouth was so dry that I'd have to time my drinks of water so it wouldn't be dry when I was bugling,'' Bales recalled.

One skill judges look for is an ability to do a variety of calls. Individuals with large repertoires are usually more successful at attracting elk.

``There are so many people bugling that elk get bugle shy,'' Bales said. ``It really helps if you know a variety of calls.''

A successful bugler will find himself in a one-on-one situation with an elk. However, Bales once discovered himself looking into the eyes of 80 elk after a call.

Bales was with several friends prior to bow season when he encountered the herd of elk. From a distance of a few hundred yards, he made three or four cow calls.

What followed was almost chilling.

``The whole herd began stampeding toward us,'' Bales said. ``I'd like to know what I said.''

The elk stopped 30 to 40 yards from the group.

One reason the elk were so curious was that the wind was to their backs, which meant they hadn't detected the party's scent.

If Bales ever produces a video on bugling he'll be able to include the stampede. A friend videotaped the event.

Although the best buglers can approximate the sound of an elk, there's nothing like authenticity. Bales said that the thrill of having an elk bugle 20 yards from him is incomparable.

``The volume is incredible; it stands the hair on the back of your neck. There's not another sound like it,'' Bales said.

Sometimes even experienced hunters begin shaking after their first encounter with a bugling elk. Bales admits he still shares a similar sensation.

``When I lose that feeling of excitement, I won't do it anymore,'' he said.

Bales has few peers among buglers, but he admits the sound mystifies him.

``It's like a foreign language. We only know what three or four sounds mean,'' he said.

The ultimate achievement of any bugler is to draw in a herd bull, the herd's leader.

``To get one to leave his harem is very difficult,'' Bales said.

Herd bulls usually are six to seven points. Trophy-size elk with even more points than were to be displayed at the 1990 national Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation convention in Reno, where Bales was scheduled to defend his bugling title.

What sets the foundation's world championship apart from other events is the quality of judges, all of whom are noteworthy outdoorsmen. Last year's competition had seven.

``I really don't know how they were able to determine a winner from the five finalists,'' Bales said. ``I wouldn't have wanted to be in their place.''

Bales, who grew up in Idaho, has been bugling since he was 9. He once bugled with a garden hose but today has an assortment of state-of-the-art instruments.

These include special diaphragms that are placed on the roof of the mouth.

He said women and children often don't need bugling instruments. This is because their higher-pitched voices allow them to imitate elk calls with less difficulty.

Regardless of the quality of one's equipment or vocal skills, plenty of savvy is needed to draw in an elk.

``You're in their environment and they have a sixth sense that we don't have,'' Bales said. ``They fool me more than I fool them.''

Elk normally will circle around a bugler as a precaution instead of coming directly at him.

Bales bugles primarily during the bow-hunting season when elk are in their rut. He stressed that anyone bugling during rifle hunting season must be very careful because another hunter could mistake him for an elk.

Buglers can attract bulls only in the fall when they're in their rut. One can bugle for cows throughout the year, however. This is done by imitating calf calls.

Bales demonstrated calf calls and about 10 others during the banquet in La Grande. People looked on in wonderment.

Not a sound was made as he bugled - not even the call of a distant elk.

``You know I must be getting rusty, I really expected an answer,'' he said with a smile.